On a second call another female said, “You’re going to have to close the whole highway down.” Dispatcher: Are you injured at all ma’am? Caller: “I’m not getting out of my car now because I’m afraid I’m going to get hit.”

At the Winnebago County 911 Center Noah Henke was among those responding.

“Yesterday between 11am and 6pm we took over 700 calls. It was just around 740. A normal eight hour period is around 200, so I mean almost quadruple what we normally take,” said Henke.

Initially, Henke says the priority for dispatchers was to keep everyone safe.

On another recording a dispatcher is heard saying, “Make sure you keep your seat belt on, flip your hazard lights on as well. A female caller replies, “They are, they are, but the entire highway is being blocked right now.”

Henke added, “You know you’re hearing the cars striking each other, vehicles around them and keeping the caller calm, just encouraging them, stay in your vehicle, keep your seat belt on especially in an incident like this, it’s going to be the safest place.”

After the initial pileup the calls continued with many coming from family members of the victims and from those not injured, asking about towing and their possessions.

To better handle all of this, two extra dispatchers were brought in Sunday afternoon on short notice.

Henke said this is the biggest incident he’s been a part of in the two years since he was hired.

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